July 14: Protecting Your Children with Officer Brandon Iurato

Brian Sussman interviews Cottonwood Police Officer and School Resource Officer, Brandon Iurato, on his mission to serve his community by teaching positive motivation, personal development, and crime and safety techniques.

As School Resource Officer (SRO) at Mingus Mountain High School, Brandon is a key component to the department’s overall community policing plans and crime prevention efforts within the City of Cottonwood. The SRO Program focuses on fostering positive relationships with youth and equally as important, reducing crime in our schools.The SRO is an asset used by the community and the school to address situations in the lives of students in a forum other than the judicial system.

Brandon’s career has centered around 3 main passions – Law Enforcement, Training and Development, Helping Others. These passions make his transition back into Law Enforcement after almost 20 years a very natural progression.  

Early in his career, Brandon spent nearly a decade with the U.S. Customs Service, ​as both a Canine Enforcement Officer and an Inspector. While in U.S. Customs, Brandon developed a passion for helping others and began to deliver motivational workshops to various groups within the Treasury Department.  

Following this passion, Brandon left U.S. Customs to work for a Fortune 200 Corporation as their Director of Training & Development. He later launched his own training and development company, Success Strategies. His roles have enabled him to develop and deliver workshops and motivational seminars nationwide.  

Locally, Brandon has leveraged his skills and passion for helping others achieve more through CrossFit. As a former gym owner and Level 2 CrossFit coach, his enthusiasm for helping others set goals and realize their potential is evident in his coaching style…positive, encouraging and supportive.   

Since moving to Cottonwood in 2014, he has been active in the community, volunteering for MATFORCE and CASA and is a graduate of Verde Valley Leadership, class XII.